The best traffic-free bike rides around Lough Mask

The bunch of trees seen clearly from the road in the elevated position are where a ringfort used to be. Such ringforts were typically constructed during the Iron Age early Christianity period, and were usually single-family houses.

It was in the 18th century that the Penal Laws were enforced and the great houses and estates of the landlords were built . The Neale estate was approximately 400 acres, and was surrounded by a high double wall. Inside the wall, the landlord built a number of unusual monuments or follies. The Temple is an unfinished temple of carved stone. It was the last folly to be built in 1865 by John Browne, Baron of Kilmaine in honour of his first title Lord Mount Temple. It is hexagonal and has 6 plain Doric columns, at one time it had a timber roof. The base of the Temple, with the arches. Dates from an earlier time and it is probable that the columns were replaced on top of the old structure to give it elevation. The Temple was used by the ladies of the Big House for family meetings, knitting and relaxing. In addition to relaxing at the Temple, the ladies also walked "The Cavendish Walks", both inside and outside the estate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neale,_County_Mayo - https://www.mayo.ie/getattachment/378ef6e7-29c7-4ca0-ad7c-f5039953e472/The-Neal-Heritage-Loop-Walk.pdf?lang=en-IE

A small well - located between the Gods Of The Neale and the Temple Monument - https://www.mayo.ie/getattachment/378ef6e7-29c7-4ca0-ad7c-f5039953e472/The-Neal-Heritage-Loop-Walk.pdf?lang=en-IE

The Pyramid of The Neale is an architectural folly built in the form of a step pyramid around 1760. Listed on the Record of Protected Structures for County Mayo, it is a 30-foot structure rising from a series of steps from the base nearly 40 feet in width. John Kilmaine of Alcester, England provides the following information on the structure: "It is said that the pyramid is constructed on an old tumulus. The building of the pyramid is attributed to Sir John Browne the 7th Baronet and 1st Baron of Kilmaine, in memory of his brother, Sir George Browne. The structure, which at one time was crowned by a lead figure of Apollo, was designed by the Earl of Charlemont for his brother in law, Sir John Browne, The Neale". There are a few varying stories of the building of the Pyramid. One such story is that Lord Kilmaine was anxious to find a way of relieving the extreme poverty of his tenants in the post famine years, so he employed several men to pick up the stones around the estate. He had those stones piled up and built into a pyramid. This provided the poor people with a little additional income. In the later years a wind-vane adorned the top of the pyramid, so the landlord could indulge in his passion for meteorology and the recording of weather systems over a period of 30 years. The Office of Public Works refurbished the Pyramid in 1990. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neale,_County_Mayo - https://www.mayo.ie/getattachment/378ef6e7-29c7-4ca0-ad7c-f5039953e472/The-Neal-Heritage-Loop-Walk.pdf?lang=en-IE

With the peak of Bohaun to the north east and the Partry Mountains to the southwest, this is a glorious quiet road to pedal along.

The tower in Aghagower is prominent everywhere in the village. It was built in the late 10th/early 11th century as one of the 32 round tower built by Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland.

Built in 1216, Ballintubber Abbey is over 800 years old and has been restored over time since the 1960s. It's rich in history and it's possible to enjoy a tour of the Abbey and its grounds. If you do go inside, the stained glass windows are particularly beautiful.

Cong village is known worldwide due to it being the main film location for the film 'The Quiet Man' which starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Sitting on the border of Galway close to Connemara the village is home to some of Irelands most ancient monuments and circles from the Neolithic era. Cong Abbey consists of the ruins of a former Augustinian abbey that mostly dates back to the 13th century. It is seen as one of the finest examples of medieval ecclesiastical architecture in Ireland.